DULLES/BURBANK, November 14: America Online and sister company Warner Bros. have announced In2TV, an Internet service that will let users watch for free full-length episodes from old television shows in a resolution approaching DVD quality.
Set for launch in early 2006, In2TV will offer thousands of episodes from TV classics like Welcome back Kotter, Sisters, Beetlejuice, La Femme Nikita and Growing Pains, as well as interactive quizzes, games, polls and contests. The programming, which is not widely syndicated, will come with one to two minutes of commercials per half hour.
The In2TV site will organize the TV series into six genre-themed channels, with additional channels to be launched at a later date. The programming will be exclusive to AOL and serve as a cornerstone of the aol.com website’s delivery of broadband video through AOL Video on Demand, AOL Video Search, and AOL Television.
The series will be accessed by some viewers in a new DVD-quality video format called AOL Hi-Q, which, according to the announcement, enables "high resolution, full-screen viewing." To get the service with this quality, viewers will need to download special software and agree to participate in a peer-to-peer file-sharing network. They will experience a delay between the beginning of the download and the start of the viewing. The content will also be available to any broadband user in standard-quality streaming.
General Motors is a sponsor of the AOL Hi-Q Video viewing technology and will place 15-second spots on the video playback in that format. The technology was developed in partnership with Kontiki and features robust security to protect copyrighted content through digital rights management and a centrally managed, scalable delivery model.
"Viewing online videos in the AOL Hi-Q format is a whole new experience," said Kevin Conroy, executive VP, AOL Media Networks. "From the latest video game trailers and music videos to our own original programming we are enabling web users to experience and interact with television programming in an entirely new way, and creating a new distribution platform for TV content."
"Our goal is to be a leader in offering consumers unique and innovative entertainment options so that they can have as many choices as possible when it comes to choosing content," said Kevin Tsujihara, president, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. "This deal with AOL is a great example of moving in that right direction."
Added Eric Frankel, president, Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution, "This service will bring an unprecedented collection of popular TV series to a totally new platform Visitors will be able to program their own personal network, making it a TV lover's dream come true."
Currently, 53 percent of U.S. households can access the Internet over broadband connections.
